Nigeria Country Assessment
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NIGERIA COUNTRY ASSESSMENT COUNTRY INFORMATION AND POLICY UNIT, ASYLUM AND APPEALS POLICY DIRECTORATE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY DIRECTORATE VERSION APRIL 2000 I. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.1 This assessment has been produced by the Country Information and Policy Unit, Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Home Office, from information obtained from a variety of sources. 1.2 The assessment has been prepared for background purposes for those involved in the asylum determination process. The information it contains is not exhaustive, nor is it intended to catalogue all human rights violations. It concentrates on the issues most commonly raised in asylum claims made in the United Kingdom. 1.3 The assessment is sourced throughout. It is intended to be used by caseworkers as a signpost to the source material, which has been made available to them. The vast majority of the source material is readily available in the public domain. 1.4 It is intended to revise the assessment on a 6-monthly basis while the country remains within the top 35 asylum producing countries in the United Kingdom. 1.5 The assessment has been placed on the Internet (http:www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/cipu1.htm). An electronic copy of the assessment has been made available to: Amnesty International UK Immigration Advisory Service Immigration Appellate Authority Immigration Law Practitioners' Association Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants JUSTICE 1 Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture Refugee Council Refugee Legal Centre UN High Commissioner for Refugees CONTENTS I. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.1 - 1.5 II. GEOGRAPHY 2.1 III. ECONOMY 3.1 - 3.3 IV. HISTORY 4.1 - 4.42 Post - independence historical background 4.1 - 4.2 Recent history - The Abacha Era 4.3 Imprisonment of Chief Abiola 4.4 Alleged 1995 coup plot 4.5 The execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa 4.6 Transition to civilian rule 4.7 - 4.11 Alleged coup plot of December 1997 4.12 April 1998 National Assembly Elections 4.13 Death of Abacha and related events 4.14 - 4.15 Release of Political detainees 4.16 Creation of a new cabinet 4.17 Abubakar's speech of 20 July 4.18 - 4.20 Death of Abiola 4.21 - 4.22 Coup Plotters convicted under General Abacha 4.23 Party registration 4.24 - 4.26 Release of the Ogoni 20 4.27 2 Return of political exiles 4.28 Investigations into fraud 4.29 - 4.30 International response 4.31 - 4.33 Local elections - 5 December 1998 4.34 Governorship and House of Assembly 4.35 - 4.36 Elections Parliamentary elections 20/2/99 4.37 - 4.38 Presidential elections - 27/2/99 4.39 - 4.40 Recent events 4.41 - 4.42 V. HUMAN RIGHTS: INSTRUMENTS OF THE STATE POLITICAL SYSTEM 5.1 - 5.2 THE CONSTITUTION 5.3 - 5.4 THE JUDICIARY 5.5 PAST PRACTISE 5.6 - 5.11 PRESENT POSITION 5.12 - 5.14 LEGAL RIGHTS/DETENTION 5.15 - 5.18 THE SECURITY SERVICES 5.19 - 5.22 POLICE 5.23 - 5.27 PRISON CONDITIONS 5.28 - 5.32 HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE 5.33 - 5.35 EDUCATION 5.36 - 5.38 VI. HUMAN RIGHTS: ACTUAL PRACTICE WITH REGARD TO HUMAN RIGHTS GENERAL INTRODUCTION: i. THE ABACHA ERA 6.1 - 6.5 ii. THE ABUBAKAR ERA 6.6 - 6.12 3 III. CURRENT HUMAN RIGHTS 6.13 SITUATION VII. HUMAN RIGHTS: GENERAL ASSESSMENT SECURITY SITUATION 7.1 - 7.3 FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY/OPINION: The situation under Abacha: 7.4 - 7.11 Recent developments: 7.12 - 7.17 MEDIA FREEDOM The situation under Abacha: 7.18 The situation under Abubakar 7.19 - 7.20 Television and Radio 7.21 - 7.22 The situation under the present government 7.23 - 7.24 FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION 7.25 FREEDOM OF RELIGION 7.26 - 7.35 The introduction of Shar'ia law, and 7.36 - 7.40 subsequent events. ETHNIC GROUP 7.41 - 7.50 FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT 7.51 VIII HUMAN RIGHTS: SPECIFIC GROUPS POLITICAL GROUPS/HUMAN RIGHTS 8.1 - 8.4 ASSOCIATIONS ODUA PEOPLE'S CONGRESS 8.5 - 8.8 MINORITIES - THE OGONI 8.9 - 8.15 GENERAL SITUATION IN THE NIGER 8.16 - 8.23 DELTA WOMEN 8.24 - 8.26 CHILDREN 8.27 - 8.30 4 STUDENT CULTS 8.31 - 8.33 HOMOSEXUALS 8.34 - 8.35 OTHER ISSUES CULTS - THE OGBONI 9.1 - 9.9 MONITORING 9.10 - 9.11 INTERNAL FLIGHT 9.12 ANNEXES ANNEX A: INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS ANNEX B: MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES/PRO DEMOCRACY GROUPS ANNEX C: PROMINENT PEOPLE PAST AND PRESENT ANNEX D: CHRONOLOGY OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OCTOBER 1991 - APRIL 2000 ANNEX E: BIBLIOGRAPHY 5 II. GEOGRAPHY 2.1. The Federal Republic of Nigeria currently consists of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) containing the capital Abuja. It is a West African coastal state bordered by Benin to the west, Niger to the north, Chad to the north-east and Cameroon to the south-east. Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa, the 1991 national census found there to be 88.5 million Nigerians. The current unofficial estimate is over 100 million. Nigeria is a former British colony, and many influences are visible in contemporary Nigeria with English recognised as the official language, although the many tribal based languages remain mother tongue to large sections of the population. [1] III. ECONOMY 3.1 The Nigerian economy has consistently not realised its potential, hindered in particular by persistent corruption, mismanagement and strikes. Nigeria is heavily dependent on crude oil production, which now represents over 90% of her export revenue. All these factors have contributed to a lack of investment in Nigeria's physical and social infrastructure, which has resulted in a marked decline affecting fundamental sectors such as transport, health and education. Living standards for the mass of the Nigerian population have deteriorated markedly in the last 15 years. Nigeria's per capita income is about $280 at present, which is amongst the lowest in the world. However, some positive developments within all the budgets since 1995 has seen some improvements in the Nigerian economy in particular with the rate of inflation having fallen from 72.8% at the end of 1995 to 14.1% at the end of 1997. The proposed privatisation of some state owned enterprises has been a feature of the last two budgets. [1] President Obasanjo has expressed his support for privatisation [154] and on 29 July 1999 he set out a three-stage plan for privatisation. He has also created a National Council on Privatisation to ensure that assets were correctly evaluated and their sale properly managed. [155] 3.2 President Obasanjo has announced a fiscal policy to encourage farming and manufacturing, along with a job creation scheme to create 20,000 new jobs in the year 2000. The economy remains moribund and the infrastructure poor, but the increase in oil price has assisted the civilian government in its economic policies, and has led to a drop in inflation to 7.5% in 1999. [2] A large section of the population survives on subsistence farming or very low incomes. There is no central social welfare system in Nigeria and this has intensified the anxiety associated with job insecurity. There is still a huge need for investment in the infrastructure and hundreds of thousands of half-educated young people are looking for non-existent jobs. It is reported that 67% of the population are living in poverty, without adequate access to clean water, education, health care or employment. President Obasanjo has stated that he will create a panel to address these problems. [156] The World Bank has pledge its support for poverty alleviation, and has promised to assist by reducing the interest on Nigeria’s outstanding loans, and allowing a ten year grace period for economic improvement. [157] 3.3 On 4 January 2000 it was announced that the Nigerian government would set up a Poverty Alleviation Council to improve peoples lives. The remit of this council will include job creation, industrial development and a review of public service wages. The Nigerian government has also stressed its commitment to improving agricultural productivity, by clearing land, providing fertiliser, seed and other resources to farmers. [243] 6 IV HISTORY Post-Independence Historical background 4.1 Nigeria achieved independence on 1st October 1960 but with a legacy of regional, ethnic and religious problems which have remained. These have been major factors in Nigeria's experience of military rule, which accounts for 25 out of the 35 years since independence. In this time Nigeria has experienced two elected civilian governments and more recently one unelected predominately civilian "interim" government. 4.2 During the 8 year tenure of Major-General Ibrahim Babangida - (1985-1993), political activity was unbanned in May 1989 and 2 national political parties were created on 7 October 1989, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC). The SDP and NRC contested a series of local, state governorship, and federal assembly elections, culminating in a presidential election on 12 June 1993. The presidential election was widely believed to have been won by the SDP candidate Chief Moshood Abiola. However, the full results were never announced and the Babangida Government annulled the election. This precipitated a period of political uncertainty that was not dissipated by Babangida's appointment of a short-lived, Interim National Government (ING). This was headed by the businessman Chief Ernest Shonekan but with continuing military influence in the guise of Defence Minister General Sani Abacha. On 17 November 1993 General Abacha ousted the ING and reinstated military rule. [1] Recent History 4.3 On assuming power on 17 November 1993 General Abacha issued decrees dissolving all the existing democratically elected institutions at federal and state level, dissolving the two existing political parties and banning the formation of any new political parties.